RWBY: SADE
by FadingLegacy
Summary: Four new arrivals to Beacon. Each with their own talents and weaknesses, they will learn to shape the future of humanity through the trials they endure. They may start off strangers, but will become true friends when it all comes to an end. Disclaimer, I don't own RWBY, etc etc. (May or may not be shipping later, depending on the fans. Might be up to a poll.)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello there! Thanks for bothering to pay attention to this story. I really appreciate it, and don't think you'll be disappointed. Disclaimer, I don't own RWBY, etc etc. Anyways, on to the story! Thanks again!**

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"I'm telling you, Sapphiro, I don't think this is the best idea…" Dergo commented, the Faunus in question scoffed at his remark.

"Those White Fang arseholes are after us, Dergo. Let's go into Forever Fall while we still have the chance to escape. Next time, I doubt Erebus will be around to save us." He responded as he peered around the group, which consisted of four people, and included him. Sapphiro had deep, hazel eyes that looked like they were an artist's depiction of the transition from summer to autumn. He wore black pants and a plain, long sleeved blue shirt, a V neck white undershirt beneath it. Armored plating that he had scavenged and had others redo and repair stuck to his frame. However, time was beginning to make its mark, and small cuts and nicks in the armor were beginning to show. He had a lanky build, with a slightly diamond shaped face. His hair was a bit scragly and black, reaching slightly below his ears and to the top of his neck. His eyes peered around with a spark of eagerness in them. On the top of his head rested a pair of wolf-like ears. His bull's tail blew in the wind. Both of these features marked him as a Faunus. He was tall, but not incredibly strong. He raised his left hand, pointing towards something he saw in the woods. The hand in question was replaced with a metal implant. There was still trace amounts of flesh, muscle, and bone within the implant, although the sum of the organic material was still incredibly small. The metal claw he wore on his left hand had different metals within it, and was a good heat conductor. It had a black paintjob, with orange stripes on the fingers meeting in the middle. The gauntlet took up the space from his fingers to a little more than halfway up his forearm. He took a moment to speak.

"Let's move guys. I think I saw something." Sapphiro decided to take the leader role of the group.

"On the way, Sapphiro." A female voice stated, from right behind the man in question.

"I appreciate it, Amethyst." He replied. Amethyst was a strange one. She had purple hair, with a stripe or two of white in it. She wore a purple skirt at the moment, along with a black buttoned up shirt that rolled down to just above her elbows. An unzipped purple jacket lay on top of it. She wore black leggings, and had boots of the same color, which had a purple toe cap. Her hair cascaded down to the bottom of her shoulderblades. Grey eyes gazed around the scene from their sockets. Her face was thin. She gave off a casual air, and always had a smile on her face.

"Always rushing blindly into the combat...so be it." Dergo remarked, walking behind the two. He unsheathed his axe and dagger, the former gripped in his right hand and the latter in his left. He had light green eyes, and light brown hair that blew in the wind. The hair parted at his forehead to the sides, and reached towards his ears. High cheekbones supported his oblong shaped face. His clothing consisted of leather armor colored dark orange, while the metal straps, belt, and other smaller things on the armor were dark red and brown. The armor covered him from head to toe. He turned towards Erebus.

"Hey, you coming Erebus?" The man in question wore a hood, which covered his entire body and concealed his face. Only his mouth could be made out. The man was the tallest of the group, and gave off a strange presence. The hooded cloak was dark green, and reached down to his knees. He wore black plate greaves. He nodded, and kept walking. Sapphiro turned back towards them.

"You guys comin'?" He asked, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, yeah...we're right behind you." Dergo answered, sighing as he crouched under another branch. The makeshift team kept on walking through the green forest, being careful not to make any more noise than necessary. After five minutes of sneaking through the forest, Sapphiro turned his head slightly to the left.

"Stop." Amethyst made her way to his right side.

"What is it?"

"Ursa Major." Dergo proceeded to Sapphiro's left. The large, bear-like creature was wandering around the clearing, its red eyes seeming to peer through the forest. It's midnight black coat, as well as its white and red skull, gave it a terrifying visage.

"Can we sneak around?" Dergo suggested, looking around.

"Yeah...but it doesn't seem like the best idea." Sapphiro replied, a bit of nervousness present in his voice.

"Why?" Sapphiro pointed outwards in response.

"The woods get really thick beside this clearing, and ahead of it too. There's a path behind that Ursa. Also, I heard some rustling in the bushes over there." He said as he pointed to his left.

"Probably some Beowolves or something. No big deal." Amethyst commented, a grin on her face.

"Alright, so let's charge that Ursa, and deal with the consequences." Sapphiro decided.

"Are you sure?" Dergo questioned.

"Of course. We got Erebus after all, right? What's the worst that could happen?"

"Oh, you know-"

"Don't answer that." Without warning, Sapphiro rose from his hiding place. In his right hand, he held a mace. Before everyone's eyes, it turned into an SMG. He raised his metal fist.

"CHARGE!" He cried, breaking into a sprint towards his target. Amethyst followed right behind him, unsheathing an LMG. Dergo followed right behind them, transforming his axe and dagger into a shotgun. Erebus silently pursued them, producing a greatsword from his back.

The Ursa Major turned in place, standing up on its rear legs. It roared its displeasure at being surprised by unwelcome guests. It lumbered back onto all fours, and slowly dashed towards his attackers. Sapphiro took aim as he was running, and fired off several bursts from his weapon. Dergo rolled to the right, and let his shotgun do the talking. Amethyst decided not to get involved fighting the Major, and was making sure that nothing came from the left. Erebus covered the right.

The Ursa Major swept its right claw, attempting to hit Sapphiro. Sapphiro blocked it by stepping to his left, and swung down his mace on the monster's over extended arm. A sickening crunch was heard, although the Major didn't seem to care. It then swung its left claw, which Dergo wasn't prepared for. He took a step back, but the attack still glanced him on his head, and he would've gotten knocked unconscious if it weren't for his Aura. A deep cut went from his ear to his cheek, and he grimaced in pain. A second later, however, he began to glow a deep orange, and his cut was healed. Dergo then refocused his attention on the immediate foe. He mashed the trigger, his shotgun barking in response, as if it were a loyal hound doing its master's will.

"Erebus! We got company!" Amethyst shouted to her comrade. Erebus broke into a dash towards her. A few howls were heard. Black, wolf-like silhouettes rushed out of the brush, sniffing and howling.

"Come on, you cute little things!" Amethyst teased, mocking the Beowolves that were charging at her in a vicious pack. There were at least twelve now, but more were probably making their way through the forest. Erebus crouched once he was halfways towards Amethyst. She briefly wondered what he was doing, until she saw him convert his greatsword into the rifle he was decently fond of. Several shots whizzed by Amethyst's head, and she turned to see just as many dead Beowolves, small crystals imbedded within the skin beneath their thick fur. They began to fade into green dust, which swirled back into the air and vanished gracefully.

Amethyst converted her LMG into a spear, and leapt five feet into the air, using her Aura to propel herself upwards. She landed straight on top of a Beowolf's shoulders, and grinned. She did a front flip, maneuvering past the annoyed creature. She was then ten feet up in the air, she centered her spear, and sped up her flip. An unfortunate Beowolf believed it would be a good idea to pounce on her, and it was rewarded by being bisected down the middle. More Beowolves were beginning to come in from the forest.

"Hahahaha!" She laughed, landing on her heels, holding the spear upwards in her right hand. The Beowolves briefly growled their disdain before running on all fours towards her. She twirled, and took the head off of the irritated monster behind her that she had leapt off of. While she performed the execution, she noticed that Erebus wasn't covering her anymore. She looked past Sapphiro and Dergo to see Erebus fighting something, although she couldn't make out what it was. She ripped her attention back to her predators.

Erebus grunted as he blocked another savage attack from the Death Stalker. He couldn't keep this up for long. Already, the oversized scorpion had pierced his defences twice. The monstrosity then wound up its tail, and took a stab at its delectable prey. Erebus rolled backwards, and grunted, as he was already tired. It had already tried to cut his leg, but his Aura made sure he was safe, at the cost of some energy. He held his sword in a two handed grip, readying it to slash through the more exposed parts of the creature. As the scorpion rose both of its pincers to strike, Erebus charged straight forward.

Sapphiro got close to the Ursa, and drew his mace downwards and back as he wound up to attack. Dergo covered him, firing off rounds from his firearm at the flailing limbs.

"Sapphiro! FINISH IT!" Dergo shouted, realizing the plights of both Amethyst and Erebus. Sapphiro took a brief half a second to focus. His mace began to glow a deep blue. He swung the mace upwards viciously, and another sickening crunch was heard. The Ursa stood up again on its hind legs and lumbered around for a few seconds. It hit the ground with a loud thud. Sapphiro turned towards Amethyst, and bolted. Dergo broke off towards Erebus.

Amethyst focused, and managed to keep her distance from the savage creatures of Grimm. She warded them off with her spear, while doing cartwheels and somersaults to keep herself alive and unharmed. Just as one of the Beowolves reached out to hurt her, its face was smashed in by a one handed mace. Sapphiro flew in, standing his ground.

"Thought you might need some help." He smiled, taking a defensive stance. She smiled back, and slashed down vertically at another Beowolf, taking its arm straight off. Sapphiro jumped in, and slammed his mace straight into the left side of its face. Sapphiro turned to his right, and slashed the nearest Beowolf with his claw, raking the side of its face. It briefly growled its hatred before its face was smashed in as Sapphiro twirled around again. Amethyst swung horizontally as she spun on her heels, bisecting another Beowolf through the waist. She channeled the remaining momentum from her first strike, and lifted the spear again to slash diagonally, going straight through another Beowolf's shoulder, and down to its waist, effectively cutting its body in twine. She turned to Sapphiro.

"Give me a little time." She ordered. Sapphiro looked back towards her.

"You got it." He made his way to her front, and made sure none of the animals harmed her. As Sapphiro protected her, Amethyst focused her Aura, and drew in any Dust from her pockets into her body. She closed her eyes, and soon found herself looking down at Remnant from a bird's eye point of view. She focused harder, and her vision was now restricted to Vale. She grit her teeth in pain and frustration, and was now looking down at Forever Fall. She put all of her effort into this last concentration, and saw both her friends and her up against a swarm of creatures of Grimm. She looked inside of herself, and saw a swirling vortex of purple and black energy deep inside of her, right in the center of her body. Her mind began to reel from the continued pain, but she barely held on. She manipulated the energies within her, molding and bending them to her will. It was like she was making something out of clay. She shifted the now tiny ball of energy into a small ball of thunder, which constantly buzzed and crackled. It was waiting to be unleashed. With her final ounce of strength, she opened her eyes and let go of the focused energy that had built up.

The thunder crackled across her skin, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She opened her palms, and electric energy rippled outwards, killing at least thirty Beowolves. Sapphiro was left rapt, and gawked in awe at the display of raw power that was presented. He snapped out of his dream-like trance, before sprinting towards Erebus and Dergo, who were still trying their best to keep themselves alive.

Dergo sidestepped again, narrowly avoiding another hit as the ground next to him was smashed. If it wasn't for Erebus, Dergo, would be dead. Of course, the opposite could be said with just as much evidence. Erebus blocked the right claw, while Dergo did the same on the left. They were waiting for assistance, and would be dead in some time from eventual and inevitable exhaustion.

'_Those White Fang bastards...'_ Dergo thought to himself. If it wasn't for their former pursuers, this battle wouldn't have been so hard on the group. Amethyst was borderline unconscious from when she unleashed her Eldritch Nova, and Erebus was tired from when he saved the rest of the group from the White Fang patrols that had been hounding them. Even then, Erebus was their best fighter. He still had enough stamina to almost hold his ground against the Death Stalker. Amethyst was in no shape to fight, and Erebus wasn't much that better. It was pretty much up to Sapphiro and Dergo to finish off the job.

"How are we going to kill this thing, Sapphiro?" Dergo asked, shrugging off a few more blows from the aggressive monster.

"Just a little more time, and it'll be dead. Watch." Sapphiro answered as he kept himself out of reach of the scorpion's attacks. Dergo nodded, and continued to focus on keeping it distracted. Sapphiro closed his eyes, and looked towards Amethyst. She was resting against the side of a tree, and Sapphiro almost thought she was dead. However, he focused and saw that she was still breathing. He sighed, and look towards Erebus. He only had a few scratches and cuts on his cloak, and was busy fighting the Death Stalker. Sapphiro repeated his sigh. He then turned his gaze towards Dergo. Sapphiro noted his weaponry, a one handed battle axe, and an ornately crafted dagger. Sapphiro observed the Death Stalker's numerous bulbous eyes, and an idea sparked in his mind.

"Take out its eyes." He commanded. Dergo turned his head towards him for a brief moment and nodded. Sapphiro rushed in, and jumped over its left claw, which Dergo was busy occupying. He put his claw outwards to his left, and cut open one of the smaller eyes near the center of the creature's face. This action outraged it, and the creature of Grimm raised its pincers in defiance, ready to crush the life out of Sapphiro. Before it could, however, Sapphiro rolled underneath its right claw, smirking to himself.

'_That's one out of ten...' _Dergo thought to himself. He took a glance at its eyes for a moment, before he utilized the rage that had overtaken the Death Stalker. He maneuvered his way around the pincer in his face, and brought the dagger in his left hand up towards the left eye of the monster that was closest to the mandible on that side of its face. The creature shrieked in pain, and closed its mandibles together just as Dergo let go of his dagger and put his arm down, leaving the blade to jut out of the ruined eye socket. He crouched underneath his foe, and dashed beneath it. While it was distracted by Dergo, Erebus did something very similar. He blocked another strike, before putting himself past the monster's defences. He swung diagonally with his greatsword, and destroyed two more of its eyes. Before it could react, Erebus went back to his position at its right, defending himself from the pincer again.

While Dergo moved underneath it, he outstretched his right arm, axe in hand, and started to chop off the legs on its right side. However, he only succeeded in severing the first two, and he peeled off to the left, back around the Death Stalker. As Dergo made his way around, Sapphiro took out another of the eyes through a vertical swing from his mace. The creature of Grimm kept on shrieking in pain, and got more and more berserk with its attacks as time went on.

Dergo finally made his way to the front. However, before he could distract his foe in the way he desired, the monster turned to him. Dergo quickly felt a sinking feeling in his stomach, right before he pushed those negative feelings away. He stood proud and tall, ready to fight the creature that would dare attack him and his friends. Dergo raised his axe to defend himself. However, he didn't expect for it to use its stinger, and not its pincer. Dergo tried to step away, but was too late. The attack hit home, and slashed Dergo across the abdomen as he attempted to dodge it. Of course, his Aura protected him to some extent, but his body still took the brunt of the attack. He flew back, slamming his head into a tree. Sapphiro saw the event transpire, and he twitched slightly. He could've sworn he heard a slight snapping sound in his head.

He crouched directly underneath the creature of Grimm. With almost superhuman speed, he pulled out a red Dust crystal with his armored hand, and crushed it. He then snapped two of his artificial fingers together, and the whole hand erupted in flame. Luckily, Sapphiro wouldn't be able to feel it, at least until the fire spread to the rest of his body. He stuck his hand right into its center, and gripped it with all of his strength.

'_Burn...'_ He thought to himself. The scorpion-like creature began to screech, and it flailed every part of its body. After a few more seconds, it began to spasm, its body not able to take the intense heat. Its tail began to contract in its death throes, and the monster screamed as it was slowly being melted through. Sapphiro endured, and burned his way through. However, it took more than a couple of seconds. The sound of the Death Stalker dying reverberated throughout the forest, flocks of birds flying out of their resting places. After about a dozen more moments of being burnt through, the abomination finally stopped moving, and died. Sapphiro waded his way through its scorching remains, picked up Dergo's dagger, and began to walk towards Dergo. However, he just remembered that his hand was still on fire. He looked around, and decided to wave his hand around in the air frantically. It didn't help much. Sapphiro then decided to stop, drop, and roll. After five more seconds, the fire was finally put out.

'_Phew...' _He thought to himself. Erebus rested on one knee, putting his greatsword in the ground. Sapphiro found Dergo propped up against the tree, just as he was before. Sapphiro quickly reached for his pulse, and sighed his relief.

"He isn't dead…" Sapphiro muttered to himself, a miniscule smile plastered onto his face. He set down his comrade's dagger on his friend's side, so that it held. It was on the opposite side of the axe. He got up from his stooping position, and stretched his back and arms.

"Hey!" A female voice cried out. Sapphiro turned around, and saw a strange sight. Four girls, around his age, who were all roughly thirty feet away from him. He looked straight back at them.

"Uh...hello?" He hesitantly replied, wondering if the girls were friend or foe. They looked kind of friendly. One of them, who was dressed in all red and black, walked forward. Without warning, she began to dart towards him. He took a tense stance, and was ready to be attacked. However, she stopped just as she was a foot in front of him. Sapphiro stood back a tiny bit.

"Hi! I'm Ruby! Nice to meet ya!" She expressed, holding out her hand. She had an almost impossibly large smile on her face. Her beautiful silver eyes glinted in the sunlight, which would only last about an hour more. She was very pale, and surprisingly a bit on the short side. Her clothing and hair blended perfectly with the background, as if she were an incarnation of this place. She waited for a response, the occasional red leaf landing beside her.

"Nice to meet you too, Ruby. My name is Sapphiro." By the time he had finished introducing himself, Ruby's friends made their way to her side. They all exchanged looks.

"Wait...oh no!" Sapphiro slapped his forehead, and turned around. The girls all shared expressions of confusion.

"Amethyst!" He shouted as he looked around the clearing. He was almost immediately greeted by a hand rising from the ground, like some corpse come back to life. He sprinted over.

"Thank goodness you're alright." He said as he stared down at her. She lazily moved her hand towards him. He silently chuckled, and pulled her up. Amethyst's hair was an absolute mess.

"Thanks!" She giggled, just as she noticed the new arrivals.

"What's with the bunch of girls?" She asked, while she simultaneously made sure they didn't hear her.

"Uh...I dunno. They just...showed up." He replied, rushing off towards Erebus. Before he took more than three steps, he noticed that Erebus wasn't where he used to be. He turned towards the girls, but he wasn't around them either. He looked to his right. He was greeted by a cloaked figure looking down at him. Erebus.

"You scared me." Erebus simply looked down and motioned his head towards the girls.

"Got it." Sapphiro walked towards them, with Amethyst following not too far behind. Erebus made his way over to Dergo, and lifted him up over his shoulder. Sapphiro was in front of the girls, and cleared his throat.

"So...why are you girls here?" Without consulting her friends, Ruby spoke up.

"Wellll...first we heard some shooting, then we heard some screaming. Then we ran towards the sounds, and found you standing there." She turned towards one of her friends, who was dressed in white and had a rapier resting at her side.

"Is that an okay explanation, Weiss?" The teenager in question scoffed.

"While less than...perfect, I suppose it'll do."

"YAY!" Ruby cheered enthusiastically, raising her arms as she leapt in the air like some random cheerleader. Amethyst smiled. Erebus walked over, and the girls briefly looked at both of them, before reverting their attention back to Sapphiro. Sapphiro waited a few seconds, before mentally slapping himself.

"These are my friends. Amethyst." Sapphiro introduced, gesturing towards his purple haired compatriot.

"Nice to meet you all." She waved and smiled. Sapphiro pointed towards a large, cloaked figure.

"This is Erebus." Before they could react, Sapphiro put his organic hand up to one side of his mouth, as if shielding his voice from anyone but his intended targets from hearing his statement.

"He doesn't really talk." Erebus gave them a nod in return, and the corners of his mouth turned upwards. Erebus was trying his best to smile.

"And lastly, Dergo. Poor guy got knocked out by that Death Stalker." Sapphiro finished, frowning a bit. The group looked at Sapphiro with questioning looks on their faces.

"Wait...you guys killed a Death Stalker?" The blonde one of the group asked, even her eyes conveyed her question. They showed her doubt. Sapphiro stared back awkwardly.

"Uh...yeah. Is there a problem?"

"How did you do that?"

"Working together, I guess. We're not very good at it." He pointed towards Dergo.

"Annddd...there's your proof, I'm guessing?" The blonde one questioned, a grin on her face. Sapphiro laughed a little.

"Yep." Ruby cleared her throat.

"Oh! Sorry I didn't tell you earlier. These are _my_ friends."

"There's Weiss, Blake, and Yang." She introduced, pointing towards each of her friends as she rattled off their names. "The four of us make up team RWBY!" She exclaimed, and smiling as she struck a heroic pose. Her friends joined her. Sapphiro and Amethyst laughed, while Erebus had the faintest smile still stuck to his face.

"Your enthusiasm is pretty admirable." Sapphiro commented. Ruby spoke up again.

"Sooo...what is it that you guys were doing out here?" Yang asked while she cocked her head to the side a tiny bit, which was followed by crossed arms.

"We planned on finding a place where we would be accepted. We've been trekking the continent for a while now. Also, I'm going to just ask the same question."

"Well...Professor Port told us to come out here and see if we could recover any samples of creatures of Grimm we hadn't seen yet. He said he would teach us about them after. Kind of a hands-on thing, really." Ruby answered.

"Why isn't she talking?" Blake asked. She gestured towards Amethyst.

"Oh, her? She was busy fighting a ton of Beowolves. She's definitely still tired from our whole battle. Which you guys heard." Sapphiro explained. Blake nodded.

"Wait...you mentioned a professor? You guys are students out here?" Ruby nodded excessively.

"Yessiree! We're going to enter our second semester soon at Beacon Academy."

"BEACON?! Just great, I'm acting all casual in front of a bunch of prodigies." Sapphiro sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Ruby blushed a tiny bit.

"Hehe...thanks."

"Anyways, I think Professor Ozpin might care to see you all. He has an appreciation for people like you." Blake piped up. Sapphiro turned his head sideways.

"Really? What would he want with us?"

"Well, your group did kill a Death Stalker, and whatever else. That takes talent." Sapphiro and the others lightened up at the statement.

"Oh...thanks!" He chuckled.

"So...we can come with you all?" Sapphiro asked.

"Yeah, sure! It'll be fun. Plus, we know the way back to Vale anyways, where you guys'll be safe."

"Oh wow...thanks a lot. We appreciate it."

"No problem! Glad to help!" Ruby energetically expressed. Sapphiro looked around.

"Well, that's that. We're ready when you guys are."

* (Roughly forty minutes later.)

Sapphiro, Amethyst, and Erebus, with Dergo in tow, followed their new found friends. Within five more minutes, they had found their way to the Beacon Cliffs. Unfortunately, they had trek up paths that led upwards towards the academy. On the way to Beacon, they discussed different things. Ruby walked up to Sapphiro's side.

"So...who's the leader in your group?" She asked. She kept up pace with Sapphiro and had her hands behind her back. Sapphiro looked back at her.

"Leader? Well, you probably could say I am. I boss them around enough, so yeah. I guess I am the leader."

"You don't sound very confident for a leader."

"Well, one of us could've easily been killed just fifteen minutes ago...so yeah. I'm not feeling particularly confident in our abilities as a team right now." Ruby looked at him, a friendly expression locked onto her face.

"I see what you mean. When I became the leader of team RWBY, the whole group didn't get along extremely well, especially when we all first met."

"Really? You guys seem like a bunch of childhood friends now. Well, except for that Weiss girl. She doesn't seem very...tolerant." Ruby silently chuckled. Her smile got even wider.

"Yeah, we still clash a little. But, we're friends, and it's as simple as that." Sapphiro looked back at her.

"You're lucky it's so simple. What I would give to have a good friend…" Ruby looked back at him, eyeing him down as if he were slightly deranged.

"Hey, you never know when you could find another. You just have to meet them."

"Hmm...you're right."

"So...what do you think of your 'team'?" Ruby asked hesitantly. Sapphiro cocked his head sideways at her, and resumed walking forward.

"Well...Erebus is strange. He hasn't directly talked to me...ever. Only through hastily written notes have we actually communicated. I haven't even seen his face either. I don't think anyone knows what's under that mask of his. However, he is the best fighter out of the four of us, and we probably wouldn't have made it if it wasn't for him." Ruby nodded, and signalled for him to continue.

"Amethyst is my friend. We've known each other for about two months now, and we look out for each other. She's a bit more optimistic than I am, but that doesn't really lead to any clashes of personality. She's pretty talented at manipulating her Aura. Actually, her Semblance allows her to use powers relating to strong winds and storms."

"That. Sounds. Awesome!" Ruby beamed, practically jumping for joy as she ran the countless possibilities through her head. Sapphiro smiled at her.

"Lastly, there's Dergo. He's always questioning every aspect of an attack. Every angle, every attack, every shot possible, he can conceive 'em. He's always playing the devil's advocate, doubting every single assumption and working with what he's got, although I've learned to respect that. Him and Erebus saved my life a time or two." Ruby looked back at him, estranged by his statement.

"You guys seem to have a lot of close calls. You must really trust each other."

"More so out of desperation than anything else. We aren't really that close with each other, actually. Erebus is practically souless, Dergo is cautious of everything and everyone, and Amethyst is nice, but we haven't really talked that much one on one."

"That's sad." She frowned slightly, looking towards Sapphiro's friends as she thought to herself.

'_Hmm...maybe they really can come to Beacon? Could they grow close to each other?'_

In the background, Dergo slowly opened his eyes, and noticed that he was being carried by Erebus. He nudged him with his hand.

"Hey, put me down please?" He asked, Erebus responded with a nod, and set him down.

"Anyways, how close are we to the academy?" Sapphiro asked, changing topics to avoid any further awkwardness or socialization.

"Actually, we should be close."

"Found it."

"That was quick."

"Let's get back to the others. Come on." Dergo looked over his shoulder, seeing Ruby and Sapphiro as they approached everybody. Dergo jogged towards them.

"We're here already?" He commented, looking up towards the spires of Beacon as he contemplated their aesthetic beauty.

"Yeah, I can hardly believe we're seeing a part of Vale so soon after we met you guys. It's only been forty seven minutes." Sapphiro added as he turned in place to see the rest of the group loosely arranged around him.

"Welcome to Beacon."

Within another few minutes, the group had just about reached the front entrance. Half of them looked at the beautiful complex in awe, wide-eyed and mouths agape. The other half were glad that their reactions were positive. Team RWBY started to make their way towards the interior of the school. However, they were greeted by someone. A man, with shaded spectacles and white hair, which partially covered his left eye. He wore a green scarf, with a black suit, as well as a black buttoned vest, with long black pants.

"Done so soon? I shouldn't be surprised." Dergo responded with a questioning look on his face, unsure about what the man meant.

"And who would these new arrivals be, hmm?" He asked, walking forward a bit as he was accompanied by a woman with blonde hair and light green eyes.

"I'm Sapphiro Sunil, at your service sir. These are my friends." Sapphiro responded, gesturing towards his comrades as he listed off their names.

"This is Amethyst Tonitrus." The girl in question did a small bow, grinning from ear to ear as she did so. Sapphiro pointed to his own right.

"That is Dergo Aequus." The male replied with a slight wave, a neutral look occupying his features.

"And finally, there's Erebus Ignotus." The silent man offered no more than a simple bow.

"Interesting. We observed you all in the forest using our Scrolls." The stranger informed. Sapphiro stepped up.

"So then why are you asking for our names?"

"First and last." Blake stepped in.

"Professor Ozpin, what should we do with them?" Ozpin looked to the four new arrivals.

"Considering that you four seem to make a decent team, and are looking for somewhere to stay, why not join Beacon together?" Sapphiro, Amethyst, Dergo, and Erebus all looked at Ozpin wide-eyed, expressions of genuine surprise plastered onto their faces. Of course, nobody actually knew that Erebus was expressing anything at that moment, due to his hood.

"Are you kidding me? This school is for prodigies, not for simple drifters like us." Sapphiro responded. Ozpin regarded him with a strange and doubtful gaze.

"While that may be true, you are not simple warriors. You know how to use your Auras and Semblance abilities. You can even coordinate, to some extent. Some steps in the right direction, and the four of you could all be Huntsmen."

"I genuinely can not believe this is actually happening." Dergo commented.

"Uh, can you pinch me, Erebus?" The giant in question turned, and pinched Amethyst extremely hard on her right arm.

"OW! Not that hard!" Erebus shrugged in response. Sapphiro turned towards Ozpin.

"Sir, it would be a privilege for us to be students at Beacon Academy." Sapphiro looked to his friends, who all had looks of approval stuck to their faces.

"We will take you up on the offer. Thank you very much." Ozpin smiled at them.

"Not a problem. Just do your best, and you'll fit right in. Consider that fight you had earlier to be your initiation."

"Wow…"

"Dergo Aequus, Erebus Ignotus, Sapphiro Sunil, and Amethyst Tonitrus. From this day forward, you will work together as Team Shade, led by Sapphiro Sunil. Welcome to Beacon." Applause was heard, and the newly formed Team SADE turned to see Team RWBY offering their support.

"Great job, guys. It's awesome to have you here." Ruby stated.

"Congrats!" Yang smiled.

"Thanks, all of you." Sapphiro said, turning towards the entrance as he rolled his neck.

"Now, let's go home."


	2. Chapter 2

The eight friends all walked down the hallways of Beacon with expressions of joy, their steps carefree and joyous. An expression of excitement globally affected the eight. Sapphiro turned towards Dergo.

"Dergo, does your head still hurt?" Dergo turned towards him.

"Yeah, it still hurts. Feels like I kissed a freight train." Yang smirked at his comment.

"As if you know what kissing feels like." She teased, the grin on her face getting even wider as Dergo turned to address her. Sapphiro and Amethyst laughed to themselves.

"Oh, shut your mouth."

"Make me."

"Nope."

"Aw. Are you scared to fight me?"

"Quiet, both of you. The last thing we need, Yang, is for you to argue with a guy who has a head injury." Weiss interrupted, becoming the voice of reason. However, she was only a buzzkill to Yang. Yang pouted, while Blake continued to bury her face into a book. Ruby just didn't pay attention, and stuck to her thoughts. Erebus simply stayed silent, as always, as if contemplating the new team's composition. Everyone went noiseless then, save for the sound of their feet shuffling against the floors. Dergo briefly interrupted the rare silence that occupied the group.

"Is there an infirmary around here?" He asked, clasping his head with his left hand, his brown hair flowed between his hands slightly as he did so. Weiss turned to him.

"Yes, there is. I'll bring you there." She replied matter-of-factly. The statement surprised the group. Weiss doing something somewhat generous to somebody, let alone a complete stranger? What had the world come to? Before anybody else could say anymore, Dergo nodded.

"Really? Thanks a lot." She smiled back a bit, and gestured for the slightly injured man to follow her, and the whole group practically had their jaws straight on the floor. The two walked off, and Ruby turned her head towards Yang.

"How…?"

"I don't know sis." She smiled again, watching the two trudge off towards their destination. Clearly, she was thinking of something as a small smile creased her features. Sapphiro made his way to the front of the group, and turned back.

"Mind if we get going?" Ruby focused on him, and nodded profusely. Sapphiro smiled back.

Within five minutes, Dergo and Weiss began to talk.

"Again, thanks. I can't really stand staying around people for very long." Weiss turned to him, a surprised look occupied her features.

"Really? That's a surprise." Dergo glanced back with a similar expression.

"How so?"

"Nobody else seems to have that temperament. I got used to people in this school being different than I was. I had the exact same problem as you, and still do, to some extent. I used to hold Ruby in a very low regard. Dergo took this information with interest.

"Go on."

"Well, we used to not get along. She would get all hyperactive and ditzy like she still does, and I would yell at her. Eventually, I learned to be fair to her, and we became friends."

"Huh...that's interesting."

"What about you?" Dergo turned his head back slightly, and looked downwards at the floor. His face contorted into an expression of remembrance and deep thought for a second, before he grimaced.

"You wouldn't want to hear it. Believe me, it would take too long to tell." Weiss looked sad, and turned away briefly. Dergo instantly regretted his statement. He moved his hand towards her for an instant, tempted to offer an apology.

"We're here." She sighed, and walked away. Dergo watched as she left, and frowned.

'Great job, idiot. Let your trust issues go before your new friends. Real smart.'

Dergo noticed a door to his right that had a large red medical cross on it. He opened the door, and hesitantly stepped in.

"So, here are your dorms guys! Ruby unnecessarily shouted in her excitement. Sapphiro laughed. Erebus offered a simple nod, and was the first to walk in. Blake gave him an awkward look. She leaned over to Amethyst.

"He doesn't talk much, does he?" Amethyst leaned in immediately after.

"Yeah. I've never heard him speak." Blake gazed back at Amethyst, her amber eyes a bit widened.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Well, we're all good I think. Thanks for the help, you guys. We appreciate it." Sapphiro turned, scratching the back of his head as he thanked his new-found friends. The three remaining members of Team RWBY all smiled. Amethyst waved goodbye as she then slipped into her new dorm and left Sapphiro to his fate.

"No problem! If you need anything, just ask us. We'll help right away!" Ruby declared. Sapphiro nodded his appreciation.

"Thanks again. See you later." He walked into the dorm, closing the door behind him as he took notice of his teammates. Amethyst lay on a bed that she had claimed as her own, her limbs sprawled out as she closed her eyes to rest. Erebus was sitting in a chair, taking his weapon out to examine it. Sapphiro sighed, and sat down in a chair by a table. He rolled his neck, and noticed a digital clock in the corner by one of the beds read 2:41 P.M. He got comfy in the chair, and slowly began to succumb to his exhaustion. His eyelids drooped down, and he fell asleep within a solid five minutes.

"Hello? Hellooooo…? Anyone home?" A voice called out, slightly rousing Sapphiro from his slumber as he shifted a bit in his chair. His eyes made out a blurry silhouette of a girl, who was only a few inches away from the wakened Sapphiro. Before he could open his mouth to reply, another voice resonated throughout the room.

"He's out cold. That fight with the Death Stalker really exhausted them." Sapphiro instantly connected the voice to a face he knew in his thoughts. It was Yang. What were they doing in his room? How did they even get in here? Was anybody in his team even awake? These were all questions he asked himself.

"Aww… It's been two hours! How lo-"

"Here." Sapphiro interrupted the bubbly Ruby, just before she broke off into one of her never ending rants. Yang turned to him.

"Oh, you're awake."

"Yep. Now what do you guys want?" He asked, standing up out of his chair as he stretched his arms and legs. His gaze momentarily shifted over to where his comrades were when he was awake. The only person he saw was Amethyst, who was still dead asleep, her chest rising and falling very slowly as she breathed softly. Erebus was missing, and Dergo was probably somewhere else in Beacon.

"Well, we're kind of bored. Considering there's just about nothing else to do, why not hang out or something?" Yang offered. Sapphiro put his hand up in reply, as if signalling her to stop talking.

"Alright. Before I answer your question, you're going to answer mine. How did you even get in here?" He asked, his head cocked to the side as he squinted at Yang. She simply scratched the back of her head, trying to avoid eye contact as she thought of a decent excuse.

"Picked the lock." She admitted, smiling bashfully as Sapphiro gave her a look that expressed his distaste. He quickly lightened up, and smiled back at her cheerfully.

"Eh. No harm done. As long as it led to no awkward situations, I'm fine with it. Just don't do that all the time." Yang nodded back.

"You got it."

"Cool, thanks."

"So...can you come with us?" Ruby piped up.

"Uh...yeah sure. Just let me make sure I have my stuff." He replied, checking his pockets for lien as he gazed around. He looked over to the desk he slept next to and saw a scroll. Sapphiro had seen the device before, and took it with him. It beeped as he took it, and Sapphiro opened it up. A message for the whole team. Professor Ozpin wanted to talk to them. That was it.

"Professor Ozpin wants to talk to the whole team." Yang crossed her arms in thought.

"Maybe one of the others talked to him? I mean, it has been two hours."

"Erebus or Dergo probably went and talked to him. It's likely that they took the other two scrolls too."

"Well, can we go?" Yang asked, eagerly awaiting a response from Sapphiro.

"Sure."

"Yesss…" Ruby whispered, eliciting a smile from Sapphiro as he started to walk towards the door.

"So what now?"

"I was thinking that we could go to town." Yang stated.

"Fine by me. Did you plan on bringing anybody else?" Sapphiro asked.

"We planned on asking Blake and Weiss if they wanted to go, but that's about it." Ruby answered, looking towards the door as she expected one of the members of Team SADE to walk in.

"Okay then. Let's go ask them." As Sapphiro opened the door, he was greeted by an imposing figure looking straight at him.

"Jeez, you know just when to scare people, don't you?" Sapphiro asked, Erebus simply nodding as he laughed to himself slightly, although nobody could hear it. Before Sapphiro could say anything more, Erebus held up a note.

'Ozpin wanted us to know that we start the day after tomorrow. We'll get everything we need, and that we could talk to one of the other teams if we needed help.' Sapphiro nodded his appreciation.

"I was just going to ask. Thanks for the heads-up." Erebus just nodded. Yang and Ruby made their way towards the doorway.

"Do you wanna come and hang out with us?" Yang asked the stoic Erebus, who turned his head towards her in reply. He seemed to be thinking deeply about it for a few seconds as he cocked his head to the left a bit, before he shook his head yes.

"Awesome! That makes four of us for sure." Ruby declared. Sapphiro turned towards her.

"Let's go ask the others."

"Alright." All four of the students walked out into the hallway, different thoughts circulating throughout their minds as they anticipated courses of action once they reached town. Ruby and Yang moved a few feet, stopping at the entrance to their team's dorm. Yang turned towards Sapphiro and Erebus.

"We might take a couple of minutes."

"We'll wait it out here. See you in a few." Sapphiro responded, putting his attention back onto the ends of the hallway to see if Dergo would find his way back. Erebus nodded to Yang. She smiled back, and hastily scrambled into the room. Sapphiro pointed towards an end of the hallway.

"Hey Erebus, you mind keeping a watch over there in case Dergo comes back?" Erebus looked at him, arms crossed as he considered his question. Erebus nodded, just like he always did. He turned, and sauntered towards the other end of the hallway. Sapphiro went the other way.

After about a minute of waiting, Dergo saw Erebus at his end of the hallway. He hurried towards his team member, as eager to ask questions as he could be. Erebus waved him over to make sure. Within a few seconds, Dergo was a meter away from Erebus. Before he could say anything, Dergo was being shown another direction, Erebus pointing towards the other end of his own hallway as he directed him. Dergo nodded his thanks. Sapphiro saw him at the other end, and called out to Dergo.

"Hey. Yang, Ruby, Erebus and I are heading out to Vale. We were wondering where you were. Want to come with?" He asked, Dergo stopping in his tracks as he checked his watch.

"Yeah sure. We have plenty of time."

"Cool. We're just waiting for Yang and Ruby to ask Weiss and Blake." As he spoke, the door closest to him clicked open, the sound being followed by several people walking out. The three in the hallway turned to observe them.

"You're both coming along?" Sapphiro asked, noticing Blake and Weiss make their way out. Yang nodded.

"Yeah. We all have enough time. Plus, why not show you guys around Vale first?" Erebus smiled under his hood. He wasn't used to being shown around somewhere. It sounded like fun.

"So how do we get to Vale?" Dergo asked, unaware of almost anything relating to the city and all of the numerous things it held. Yang smiled at him.

"Oh you'll see."

"An airship?" Sapphiro asked, looking up at the large gunmetal grey aircraft that transported people to and from Beacon Academy.

"Yep." Ruby confirmed, a satisfied smile on her face.

"The ride seems pretty short." Dergo observed, peering out towards Vale as he spotted the numerous buildings that made up the city. Blake turned to him.

"It is. Doesn't take more than half an hour."

"Really? Great."

"Let's get going, guys."

"Wow, the view from up here is incredible." Sapphiro commented, his face pressed up against the glass as he grinned. Yang came up beside him.

"Yeah. Better hope you don't get motion sickness." She commented, her hands at her hips. Sapphiro ripped his attention towards her, a questioning expression stuck to his face as he cocked an eyebrow.

"Why?" Ruby walked up to him.

"We have a friend named Jaune. His first time on this ship had him vomiting right after."

"Oh. That's unfortunate."

"Poor Vomit-Boy." Yang smiled, using the demeaning nickname as a means to poke fun at the most socially awkward person she had ever known. Sapphiro turned back to the large window, and noted the massive grey wings that moved as the ship journeyed to its location. He was left wide-eyed at the marvelous display of human ingenuity.

"This is awesome."

"Got that right."

As the ship landed in Vale, the seven friends all descended from the back, keeping close together as they began their exploration of the city. Blake held a book under her left arm, and Erebus turned his gaze to the larger buildings of the city, while Sapphiro walked towards Yang.

"So...what's there to do?" She turned back.

"A lot. Eat at a restaurant, watch a movie, go to a club…" She listed off, coming up with more possibilities in her head as Sapphiro listened.

"Hm. Aren't you a little young to go to a club?" Yang smirked back at him.

"The last guy who said that got punched out of a two story window." Sapphiro raised his hands in surrender, everyone chuckled at his notion of withdrawal.

"Alright alright, jeez. Didn't mean to offend."

"Anyways, what will our first course of action be?" Dergo asked, looking around in place as he observed the scenery.

"Do you guys want to just walk around for a while?" Ruby suggested. Erebus nodded his head affirmatively.

"Sure." Sapphiro agreed, followed by a nod from Dergo. So the group proceeded, noting the various landmarks and buildings that made up Vale. Sapphiro was in awe at the architecture. All of the infrastructure, every single construct, every small detail put him into an even higher state of wonder. Strangely, he didn't express his thoughts as much as he would've, as he did not want to ruin his appearance by looking like somebody who had only seen dirt, rocks, and trees their whole life. However, Blake noticed this, and cleared her throat, which got Sapphiro's attention.

"Have you seen a city before?" She asked, craning her neck to the side.

"Is it that obvious?" He inquired, a bit surprised as a small smile creased his features. She nodded.

"Never. I was raised here, in Vytal, but I'm from some obscure village that's far away from here."

"Hm. What do you think?"

"Well, for one, it looks amazing. Makes me feel pretty small." Ruby made her to Erebus's side, the man doing nothing to acknowledge her presence. She tried to tilt her head to see his face, but he turned away. She frowned at this action, and decided to talk anyways.

"So...get out much?" The taller male turned his head in place slightly, and shook his head no. Ruby smiled at his extremely introverted behaviour.

"Soo...um...how are you?" She asked, attempting to break the ice a second time. His gaze was still focused on her, although she could barely notice what he was focusing on. Erebus moved his shoulders upwards in a shrug motion, and continued to walk forward. Realizing how confident and set in stone Erebus was with his attitude, Ruby decided to walk back towards Yang, garnering her attention.

"Hey."

"Hey, sis." Yang replied back.

"That Erebus guy, he's really...weird."

"Give it some time. Maybe he'll open up eventually."

"I guess...but it's still a bit-"

"Unnerving? Disheartening? Frightening?" Dergo asked, listening in on the conversation as Ruby suddenly noticed him on the other side of Yang. Her sister jumped back in surprise.

"Creepy. You and him." Yang replied, smirking a bit to herself. Dergo took it in stride, still strolling with self-confidence.

"Whatever you say." He said, beginning to remove himself from the conversation as soon as he entered.

"What do you think it is, Dergo?" Ruby stopped him, asking for his opinion. He turned in place.

"Hm? Oh, yes. I think the reason may be some kind of anxiety disorder, maybe a traumatic childhood incident of some kind?" Ruby shrugged.

"Maybe he just doesn't like talking to people? Self confidence issues?"

"Good predictions. However, we can't say for certain. Also, he's been right there this whole time." Dergo pointed, his index finger leading towards a hooded figure who faced the trio, speechless as he stared them down from behind his cowl. He was right beside Ruby, and she didn't even notice. Her head rotated a bit in its place, and her expression quickly became one of fear.

"AH!" She comically jumped into Yang's arms, who casually held her, albeit in a bit of a shaky grip from both Erebus's sudden appearance and Ruby's surprise. Dergo, Weiss, Blake, and Sapphiro all noticed the scene, and laughed together. After a few seconds, Ruby slowly climbed out of her sister's arms, albeit blushing a bit from her embarrassing reaction.

"I'd hate to see you watch a horror movie, Ruby." Dergo commented, continuing his sauntering through the streets after he observed the comedic bit. Erebus walked very slowly, waiting for everybody to be at the same pace. Sapphire stopped in place as he walked, turning on his heels.

"Any ideas for dinner?" He asked as soon as he checked his watch.

"Pizza?" Ruby proposed, looking to her fellow roommates for approval. Fortunately, they all offered curt nods of agreement. She shifted her gaze to Sapphiro.

"As far as I'm concerned, Dergo and I are hungry. I don't know if Erebus has a stomach." He joked, poking fun at Erebus's lack of interaction with anything around him. The hooded figure didn't stir, which slightly unnerved Blake, her bow twitching a bit. Ruby decided to break the awkward silence that ensued.

"Alright then! Onwards!" She proclaimed, striking a pose as she pointed forward with her left hand. Sapphiro smiled at her contagious, childish enthusiasm. It was something to be appreciated and valued.

"Whatever you say, oh glorious leader." Dergo jeered, smirking to himself. Erebus jabbed him with an elbow.

"Let's get going." Sapphiro ordered, walking at the forefront of the group, right next to Ruby. After a few minutes of walking, Ruby decided to start speaking to Sapphiro.

"So...why didn't you reject Ozpin's offer?" She asked, asking a simple question in an attempt to know her new friend better. He tilted his head slightly.

"Why? Here's what it boils down to. The White Fang was after Erebus and I. Dergo and Amethyst joined us almost as soon as that whole thing started. We've been on the run for a long time, with no rest. I don't intend to leave Beacon so soon after I was inducted, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to graduate. Eventually, I think we might end up leaving. No matter how hard we try, time slips by. The four of us are used to being on the run by now. I guess I just want to stay...what's the word...incognito! That's it. Just an opportunity to rest and settle down for now."

"Really? You won't really have that much time to rest at Beacon though…" She responded, frowning a bit as she poked a major hole in Sapphiro's plan.

"I don't intend to stay down for long. Just get my head screwed on straight, and continue with the course of my life. The next step is going through Beacon."

"There has to be another reason." Ruby stated, subtly trying to get more information out of Sapphiro. He wouldn't budge.

"Eh...I'll tell you some other time. I'm still kinda tired. Let's eat that pizza, and get going home." He brought the conversation to an abrupt and timely end, as a pizzeria just so happened to be right in front of the group. Sapphiro smiled to himself.

"Time to treat myself to one of the wonders of the world."

As the group filed in, a bell rung at the door. A bored man appeared at the counter, his palm grasping his chin as he came awfully close to falling asleep. However, the bell made him aware of his new customers. Ruby made her way right to the front of the counter, as the place was practically deserted. She looked the seemingly disgruntled employee up and down in a quick manner. The man was squat and wide in appearance, and didn't seem to be very healthy. He didn't possess much in terms of hair, and what little he had was slowly turning grey. Slight wrinkles appeared in his face. Brown eyes lazily shifted from their sockets to eye down the newcomers. Truly, the times hadn't been very kind to the tired man. However, he got up slowly from his leaning position to face Ruby. He cleared his throat.

"Welcome to the Upper Dough Pizzeria. How may I help you?" He asked, the weariness in his voice clearly audible.

"Two pizza pies, please." The old man nodded, and shouted the order into the kitchen. Dergo gazed around the establishment, and noticed a table large enough to hold seven people. He tapped Ruby on the shoulder.

"There's a table big enough." He directed, looking towards the rest of the group. Ruby looked back at him.

"I'll pay." Sapphiro stated, digging into his pockets for the lien he had taken with him.

"You sure?" Ruby asked. He nodded.

The employee turned. Sapphiro handed him the plastic card, and the man nodded. Just as he took the funds off of the card and handed it over, the older man stopped when he noticed that Sapphiro had put his hand up.

"Keep the change." The man looked back at him with a bemused expression stuck to his face, his eyes portraying his confusion just as much.

"Really? Thanks, kid."

"Not a problem. Thanks for the pizza." The old man nodded back, smiling a bit.

"Yeah, sure. It'll be out soon." Sapphiro nodded, leaning back against a wall as he waited. After about twenty minutes, the smell of fresh pizza filled the air. Sapphiro shifted his attention to the kitchen. Immediately after, the employee slowly stepped out, two pizzas stacked up in his arms. Sapphiro smiled. The man set them down on the counter, looking past the counter, giving his newest customer a big smile.

"Thanks a lot, sir. We'll have to come here another time." Sapphiro was given a curt nod in reply.

"I'd appreciate it, Mr?"

"Sapphiro. Just call me Sapphiro. Mr makes me sound like an old guy." The employee chuckled slightly, and offered his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Sapphiro. I'm Orsino." Sapphiro grasped the man's hand, and shook it firmly.

"Hope you enjoy."

"Thanks." Sapphiro said, grabbing both of the pizzas. He awkwardly made his way towards the rest of his friends, who were all waiting at the large table for him, bored out of their minds. They all paid notice to Sapphiro's arrival.

"PIZZA!" Ruby shouted, earning a scowl from Weiss and Dergo. Erebus and Yang both smirked. Sapphiro set down the pizza right in front of her, and pulled out the chair closest to him. He gestured towards the pizza.

"Well, dig in!" Gladly, every member of the group, save Weiss and Erebus all practically tore open the boxes containing their delectable food. Within the first minute, Sapphiro had wolfed down a slice and was moving onto the second, when he noticed Erebus sitting there idly. Sapphiro looked straight at him.

"Why don't you eat?" Erebus tilted his head creepily at the question, and continued with his signature nod. The rest of the group was paying attention, however discreetly. None of them really had seen the strange figure eat before. A gloved hand reached out from the dark green cloak, small pieces of armor attached to it. It approached as if it were a snake moving ever so slowly to devour its prey. Once it was five centimeters away, the hand instantly snatched a piece from the box. Before the prying eyes of the group, the hand reached into the dark space that occupied Erebus's face, and came out with nothing in its grasp. In an instant, the pizza was gone. The whole group, save for Sapphiro, stared wide-eyed at the strange display. How was that possible?

"No need to observe him like a zoo animal." Dergo commented, transferring his attention back to the food he was eager to consume. Everyone else copied his action, and continued on with their business.

After fervently devouring their meal for more than half an hour, the group got up from the table and began the process of walking out of the establishment. Dergo made sure to grab the remains of the pizza, just in case Amethyst or anybody else was hungry. As everyone filed out of the place, Sapphiro stopped in place right beside the door. He turned, focusing on the man at the counter.

"Thanks again, Orsino. We'll see you another time."

"See you later, kid." Sapphiro sauntered out, and saw his friends a little ways down the street. He made his way over, and Ruby turned to regard him.

"I guess we'll head back now. It'll start to get dark soon." Sapphiro nodded back.

"Sure. Let's go." Dergo's head rotated towards Weiss as the two of them were walking.

"Hey...sorry about earlier."

"It's fine." She hastily replied, barely paying attention to his statement. Dergo sighed at her quick dismissal. Clearly, she didn't wish to talk.

"I just…nevermind." He stopped himself awkwardly. Social skills weren't his strong suit.

'Save the bloody confession for later...' Dergo thought to himself.

"So, how was that pizza guys?" Yang asked. Sapphiro offered a thumbs up.

"It was awesome!" Ruby exclaimed, drawing a slight smile from everybody. Erebus gave a thumbs up, just like Sapphiro.

"Blake?" Ruby asked, intent on knowing the opinions of her close friends.

"It was good."

"Weiss?"

"I liked it."

"SUCCESS!" She expressed enthusiastically. After a short while of walking towards the ships, the objective was close.

"Alright, there are the airships." Dergo said, sighing as he stretched a bit.

"Let's get on."

"I'd say that was a fun first night on the town." Sapphiro commented, eager to get back to his dorm. Dergo looked to him.

"Agreed."

"It's already past 7:00. We should probably get as much sleep as possible." Sapphiro suggested, even though he had already taken a nap. He was simply looking out for his teammates. Dergo shrugged.

"I like to get my sleep, I guess. I don't mind going to bed a few hours early." Erebus delivered his signature shrug. Ruby turned to Sapphiro.

"Well, we'll still be up. If any of you need us, go ahead and knock."

"Thanks for everything." Sapphiro smiled.

"Yeah, no problem." Yang replied, smiling straight back as she opened the door to Team RWBY's dorm.

"Bye!" Ruby waved, closing the door behind her. Sapphiro sighed immediately after.

"I'm not really tired. What about the rest of you?" He asked, glancing towards his friends. Dergo spoke up.

"Honestly? I'm exhausted. Ready to fall asleep." He replied, yawning as his eyelids drooped a bit. Sapphiro focused his gaze on Erebus. The hooded man's shoulders sagged down. He was also tired.

"Alright then. Good night you two. I'm going to go and walk around." Erebus waved him off, and the two went into their room, leaving Sapphiro to do his own business.

"I think I'll go outside." He said to himself. As he walked down the hallway, Sapphiro noticed just how dark it had gotten. He didn't mind, however. Before long, he had made his way to the courtyard, where several benches were present. He grunted as he set himself down on one of them. After a few minutes of thinking to himself about what had occurred throughout the day, he shifted his attention towards the weapon he possessed. Sapphiro pulled the weapon from its sheath. Segomo Skoll was a weapon beautiful in its simplicity. It had the appearance of a strange variant of a flanged mace. The handle was dark grey, and had no bindings to speak of. The head of the mace was mostly a very dark blue, and any other parts were black. Sapphiro didn't usually like over flashy things, hence the simple design of his weapon. Inspecting it closer for any nicks, or irregular marks on the weapon, he found several.

Sapphiro sighed. It had been years since his weapon had been properly maintained. He managed to primitively take care of it over the years, but that hadn't kept the weapon optimized for use. He quickly pressed a button on the handle with his thumb, transforming the weapon into its firearm form. It shifted in his hand into the sub-machine gun he was fond of. However, the weapon had the power of an assault rifle. Unfortunately for Sapphiro, this was only due to the fact that he had the most refined Dust that could be bought at the time that the weapon was made. He had saved up all of his money over the years until he could afford enough of the incredibly expensive Dust. The weapon itself was the only thing his father had left him. Sapphiro slowly put the weapon back into its original form, and put it into the sheath he possessed.

Before he could anything else, a rustling from behind him interrupted his actions. Thinking somebody was sneaking up on him, he turned in place. Before he could react, somebody had almost instantaneously sat right next to him on the bench. He looked to see the familiar form of Blake.

"Oh. Hey Blake." He nervously greeted, a bit off-put from her sudden appearance. She smiled back.

"Hi Sapphiro. So why are you out here?" She asked. He sighed again.

"Oh, you know. Just relaxing. I'm not really tired." Blake nodded.

"I see...do you go out at night often?" She asked, eager to know information about one of the newest members of Beacon. Sapphiro smiled back at her.

"Yeah. It's really relaxing, helps me unwind. Also, lets me think easier. Plus, don't have to worry about people sneaking up on me…" He said, pointing to his eyes.

"Speaking of which...you're a Faunus, aren't you?" He questioned, squinting his eyes at her in suspicion. She barely stirred under his gaze, although eventually she gave up.

"Yes…" She sighed, and reached her hands up to the top of her head. Sapphiro noted the bow, which she untied, revealing a small pair of violet cat ears. Her amber eyes and black hair completed the whole black cat look.

"How could you tell?" She questioned. A smirk creased Sapphiro's features.

"Only another Faunus could sneak up on me like that. Especially one who is feline."

"Hm. So...you're okay with just walking around with those ears and that tail?" Blake asked, gesturing to the body parts in question. Sapphiro gave her an amused look, and shrugged back.

"If people can't see the fact that Faunus and Humans are pretty much the same, then I usually don't bother with them." Blake smiled a little. He wasn't afraid of people criticizing him.

"Huh. So what do you think of the White Fang then?"

"Well… I kind of ended up stealing from them…" Blake tilted her head in a puzzled manner, eager for more information. Sapphiro sighed.

"I was incredibly desperate for money. As a matter of fact, I was barely scraping by, and I saw the White Fang once when I was wandering across Vytal. So I followed them to some warehouse, and I had heard about all of the terrorist attacks and such, so I stole plenty of lien when they weren't looking. They've been after me ever since, although I don't think they'll suspect I'm here at Beacon, and the chances of them trying to seize me on school grounds are very small." He admitted, looking straight back into Blake's eyes.

"So… could you keep that secret, just for me?" She smiled a bit, and nodded.

"I will. We all have secrets, some worse than others. Yours is safe with me." Sapphiro beamed back.

"Thanks a lot." He leaned back on the bench, and Blake just sat there next to him. A brief silence ensued, allowing both of them to think.

"I guess I'll just relax out here for a little while longer." Sapphiro broke the quiet, becoming less tense as he felt the cool wind turn his skin cold. It felt good. After about fifteen minutes of just sitting there, Blake got up and turned to him.

"Well, it was nice talking to you. I'll see you another time." She said, securing her bow back into its original position.

"Alright, see you around, Blake." He waved her off, and watched as she sauntered off towards the entrance of the school. After a few precious seconds of silence, one of the trees rustled unordinarily. Sapphiro could tell it wasn't the wind. He got a bit low to the ground, the wolf in him telling him to stalk whatever prey dwell in the tree. However, as soon as the susurrus had started, it stopped. He eyed down the thing suspiciously, making sure that nothing was out of the ordinary. Briefly, Sapphiro walked around the tree, making that nothing was really there. He got back up from his tense position, and began to trek back towards the entrance. Little did he know, somebody was there, waiting just for him.


End file.
